Various types of touch-screen displays are known in the art. Typically, a touch-screen display is electrically coupled to a computer or other host electronic device that generates images to be shown on the display. Some of these displayed images can be in the form of different kinds of user controls, such as, for example, buttons, slider bars, pull-down menus, etc. These controls are operable through user contact with the particular image, such as, for example, making finger contact with an image of a button so as to make a computerized menu selection, or to trigger a particular computer-controlled event. In this way, touch-screen displays generally provide an image based, two-way interface between a host electronic device and a human user.
Each of the various kinds of touch-screen display is capable of detecting contact by an associated number of different entities. For example, some kinds of touch-screen display, generically referred to as resistive type, can detect contact by nearly any reasonably blunt object that makes contact or relatively light force with the display; non-limiting examples of such an object include a human finger tip, a pencil eraser, a blunt end of ball-point pen, or a plastic stylus designed for routine contact with the resistive type touch-screen display.
Another kind of touch-screen display, generically referred to as capacitive type, requires that the object contacting the display be at least partially electrically conductive so as to detect the contact. A human finger tip, for example, satisfies this requirement of capacitive type touch-screen displays. Other contact-object requirements are associated with other kinds of touch-screen display. Generally speaking, a living human digit is satisfactorily usable with a substantial number of different types of touch-screen display.
The contact-object requirements of some kinds of touch-screen display present an undesirable usage barrier to persons with prosthetic limbs or other physical assistance. With increasing frequency, the kind of touch-screen display that such a person encounters in public, in a professional environment, or other location, is not compatible with prosthesis that they are dependent upon.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a prosthetic device usable by persons with prosthesis that is compatible with a substantial number of kinds of touch-screen display.
One embodiment provides for a prosthetic device including a pointer region, and an electrically conductive touch pad that is supported by the pointer region. The electrically conductive touch pad is configured for selectively contacting a touch-screen display. The prosthetic device also includes an electric heating circuit including a switch, wherein the electric heating circuit is configured to selectively heat the electrically conductive touch pad in response to an actuation of the switch.
Another embodiment provides for a prosthetic device for use with a touch-screen display, including a graspable body configured to be graspably supported by a prosthesis of a user, and a pointer region supported by the graspable body. The prosthetic device also includes an electrically conductive touch pad supported by the pointer region, which is configured to selectively contact the touch screen display in response to a user manipulation of the prosthetic device. The prosthetic device further includes a source of electrical energy, and a heating element that is electrically coupled to the source of electrical energy and is configured to selectively warm the electrically conductive touch pad.
Still another embodiment provides for a prosthetic device for use with a touch-screen display, including a sleeve configured to receive and be supported by prosthesis of a user. The prosthetic device also includes a pointer region supported by the sleeve, and an electrically conductive touch pad supported by the pointer region, which is configured to selectively contact the touch-screen display in response to a user manipulation of the prosthetic device. The prosthetic device further includes a source of electrical energy, and a heating element electrically coupled to the source of electrical energy that is configured to selectively warm the electrically conductive touch pad.
Yet another embodiment provides for a prosthetic device for use with a touch-screen display, including means for supporting at least a portion of the prosthetic device using prosthesis of a user, and an electrically conductive means configured to selectively contact the touch screen display in response to a user manipulation of the prosthetic device. The prosthetic device further includes electrical heating means configured to selectively warm the electrically conductive means in response to a user input to the prosthetic device.
Still another embodiment provides a method for using a prosthetic device with a touch-screen display, including supporting at least a portion of the prosthetic device using prosthesis of a user, and supporting an electrically conductive touch pad using a pointer region of the prosthetic device. The method also includes warming the electrically conductive touch pad in response to a user input to the prosthetic device, and selectively contacting the touch-screen display using the electrically conductive touch pad in response to a user manipulation of the prosthetic device.
These and other aspects and embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: